Warner Bros.
Update for latest…: New Line/DC/Warner Bros’ Shazam! Wrath of the Gods has had a less than heroic launch with $65.5 million global, including $35 million from the international ticket office. We always knew this sequel would come in lower than its predecessor, but the result is also far off where projections were ahead of the weekend.
Overall, the main question regarding Shazam 2 seems to be a disconnect with hardcore DC fans and, when it comes to China, an increasingly cold-shoulder approach by audiences to Hollywood food. Wrath of the Gods was simply a no-show in China with a small $4.4m weekend. Despite getting a day-and-date release there, moviegoers didn’t turn up Shazam 2 (in the heady days of 2019, the first film bowed to nearly $30m). This is part of a worrying trend in the world’s second-largest ticket market, where (outside Avatar) people have stayed away from Hollywood diet. Interestingly enough, Shazam 2 has an audience score of 8.8 on Maoyan, while the first film ended up with a 7.9. On Douban, it had a higher score in the frame than the original, but is now tied with it at 6.2 from critics.
Families showed up in higher numbers over the weekend in some markets, but it wasn’t enough to jump out. Mexico gave Shazam 2 a No. 1 starts at $4M (-32% from the first film). That United Kingdom debuted to $3M at No. 1, 39% below the previous installment; Indonesia ($1.6 million), Brazil ($1.6 million) and Australia ($1.6 million) follows everyone.
As Anthony noted regarding the light domestic debut, you can’t fault Warner distribution for doing their job: They protected Shazam 2get it away from Avatar: The Way of Water so it could access premium screens. The IMAX launch was good for $5.1 million worldwide, including $2.5 million from overseas.
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